Merlin (miniseries)

Merlin
DVD Cover
Directed by	Steve Barron
Written by	Edward Khmara David Stevens Peter Barnes
Produced by	Dyson Lovell Robert Halmi Sr.
Starring	Sam Neill Miranda Richardson Helena Bonham Carter Isabella Rossellini John Gielgud Rutger Hauer Martin Short Lena Headey
Music by	Trevor Jones
Release date	1998 26 April
Running time	182 mins
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30,000,000 (estimated)

Merlin is a 3 hour made-for-television movie released in 1998 that retells the famous legend of King Arthur from the perspective of the wizard Merlin. Sam Neill stars in the title role in a story that covers not only the rise and fall of Camelot but also the phase, supposedly in the history of Britain, that had preceded it.

The film deviated from more traditional versions of the myth, notably by including new characters such as Frik and by keeping Merlin through the whole reign of King Arthur over Logres (whereas in older versions Merlin left earlier on in the king's reign). The film was followed by a sequel in 2006, Merlin's Apprentice, which had nothing to do with traditional Arthurian legends.

Plot

As Christianity spreads over Britain, the power of the pagan goddess Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) is waning, and her world of magic faces imminent extinction. In order to save it, Mab decides to create a half human/half magic being, a wizard, that she believes will bring people back to the "Old Ways" (the pagan religion is said to believe in the “Old Ways” in this story). Merlin is created by Queen Mab, and is born to a human mother, Elissa, though he possesses no mortal father.

Elissa dies shortly after giving birth to Merlin, leaving the child to be raised by Ambrosia, an old woman who used to be a pagan, but has since rejected Mab and the "Old Ways".
Ambrosia refuses to give the new born Merlin to Mab, arguing that love is needed to raise a child, and that Mab is incapable of providing it. Mab seems to agree on this, and leaves, but warns Ambrosia that one day she will return and take him away once he manifests his powers.

Merlin grows up with no knowledge of his true heritage, until one day, he uses magic for the first time to save a young woman named Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), daughter of a nobleman. In return for her life, she grants him a kiss, they exchange names and Merlin vows never to forget the young Nimue. On returning home he finds a horse awaiting him, the messenger that Mab has sent him to follow. Unknowingly, Merlin is led to Mab's underground palace, where she plans to train him in magic until he becomes the greatest wizard of all time. Merlin spends some time learning magical skills from Frik (Martin Short), Mab's gnome servant. He masters being a hand-wizard, the second stage of his learning, but cannot master being a magician of ‘pure thought’like Queen Mab. He doesn't like magic and eventually leaves for his old home when he learns from Mab that his foster mother Ambrosia is dying. Unfortunately, he only arrives in time to see the end of an argument between Mab and Ambrosia. She is unable to survive, and in her last breath, makes Merlin swear to only follow his heart. On her grave he makes an oath that he will never use magic unless it is to defeat Mab.

Some years later, Merlin is summoned to see King Vortigern (Rutger Hauer). Upon his arrival he learns that a pagan priest has promised the King that Merlin’s blood will be the cure to his ever-crumbling castle. This Soothsayer had earlier asked Queen Mab for help in solving the tyrant King’s request, and she suggested finding a man “with no mortal finding”, thus leading him to Merlin. However, Merlin informs the King that his castle is being built on water, and that he would be more useful alive as he has “dreams” that predict the future. The King locks him in a dungeon, and tells him to dream. Merlin, suffering in this dungeon sees Nimue through his cell bars, she remembers him and persuades King Vortigem to release Merlin. Merlin and Nimue grow close, but Mab plots against their union and Merlin cannot save Nimue from getting injured. She is sent to Avalon to recover, and Merlin leaves to defeat Vortigem and his new ally, Mab.

Soon Merlin dreams of two dragons, a red defeating a white. The red dragon is that of Uther Pendragon. Merlin joins Uther Pendragon, the enemy of the tyrant king Vortigern. Merlin helps Uther win the war against Vortigern (whom Merlin kills with the aid of the magical sword Excalibur, given to him as a gift by the Lady of the Lake, Queen Mab's sister). He believes that Uther will be a just, decent king. However, Uther becomes infatuated with a nobleman's wife named Igraine. Uther tries to take Lady Igraine by force, but cannot defeat the nobleman’s castle defence. Merlin, wanting to stop civil war and to teach the child he knows will come, transforms Uther’s appearance into that of the nobleman's, and he enters the castle and sleeps with Igraine. Her real husband is then killed by Uther’s men. Igraine’s daughter, Morgan le Fay (Helena Bonham Carter), is the only one who seems to realize Uther’s true form. Merlin then takes Excalibur from King Uther and places it within “the Rock of Ages”, who promises to keep it until the true king returns, a man with a good heart.

Igraine eventually gives birth to Arthur, but dies in childbirth. Frik persuades the infant Morgan le Fay to place a black stone beneath the baby Arthur’s sheets, thus cursing his life. Arthur is taken by Merlin as an apprentice, not in magic, but in ethics and everything he needs to become the perfect king Merlin wishes to create.

In time, Uther turns mad and commits suicide, which leaves the kingdom in turmoil over who will be the new King. Merlin informs Arthur of his rightful place as the only son of Uther, and true heir to the throne. With the throne vacant, all the knights in the Kingdom try to take Excalibur from the Rock of Ages. With Mab and Merlin watching, Arthur arrives and tries to take the sword. The Rock releases its grip, but Mab heats the sword. Arthur persists to remove it, and with burning, blood-soaked hands, raises it for all the knights to see, and later is crowned King. Arthur then decides to build Camelot, after a suggestion from Merlin. Later, Mab manages to get Morgan le Fay (after transforming her disfigured face), Arthur's half-sister, to seduce the young Arthur. Morgan le Fey then gives birth to Arthur's son, Mordred, whom Mab raises to become Arthur's downfall and bring back the Old Ways. As Mordred is from a cursed union, he is exceptionally strong and grows and at an abnormally fast rate.

Arthur marries Guinevere in the walls of a newly built Camelot. He then wishes to find the Holy Grail, so he holds a contest to find a champion who will defend and build Camelot in his absence. The Lady of the Lake guides Merlin to a “good man”, and finds Lancelot du Lac with his wife and his son, Galahad. Merlin brings Lancelot back to Camelot, who then wins the contest. Guinevere and Lancelot become infatuated with each other. Mab makes sure Lancelot’s wife can see his betrayal, and she is found dead at the shores of Camelot not long after. Lancelot leaves with his guilt. Arthur returns and has to uphold the law and burn Guinevere at the stake for treason. Arthur cannot see her die, so Merlin makes it rain. However, Lancelot fights his way into Camelot and takes Guinevere away.

Frik and Morgan le Fay fall in love after Mab’s magic makes them both beautiful. However, when it comes time for Mab to take Mordred back to her homeland to defeat Merlin and Arthur, Mab kills Morgan with Frik watching. Frik holds the dying Morgan and their true ugly forms return, but they both call each other beautiful anyway and she dies in his arms. Frik vows revenge on Mab, so she takes his powers away.

Mordred confronts and mocks Arthur, revealing that he is Arthur’s son, and thus can take the throne. Mordred manages to make a few of Arthur's men turn against him. Queen Mab then lures Nimue into a magical wilderness and removes the scars from her past injury. Nimue calls Merlin, and he sees her, however, Merlin has to help Arthur, so he leaves and the door to the magic world closes behind him, leaving Nimue and Merlin separated. He rides to Arthur's aid.

In the film's final battle Arthur kills Mordred, but is mortally wounded. He gives Merlin Excalibur, and tells him no one should have it, for it is too powerful. Merlin leaves, and Arthur dies. Both Merlin and Mab lose their protegees along with their last hopes. Merlin throws Excalibur into the Lake, and tells the Lady to keep it. He asks her why it all went wrong, and why Lancelot cheated on Arthur. She informs him that it was his son, Galahad, that she had meant for Merlin. She tells him that “you judge too easily Merlin...it is your human part...the best part”. She says she is not afraid to die, but her sister Mab is.

Furious, Merlin returns to Camelot, where he finds Mab sitting at the Round Table. Frik, the gnome, explains that Mab is weakened, so Merlin engages her in a magic duel that drains her strengths even more. Unable to vanquish Merlin, Mab mocks him and tells him that he and his human followers can't destroy her, but Merlin knows that there are few people that believe in the 'Old Ways'. He turns his back on her telling her that everyone will forget her, and in forgetting, she will no longer exist. Everyone leaves, ignoring Mab's furious calls, and soon, she fades away into nothing, just the way she had feared from the beginning. It is presumed that all remnants of the 'Old Ways' fade away too, including the Lady of the Lake.

At the film's conclusion, Merlin is seen as pauper, telling his story for money. An aged Frik finds him, mentioning, "It's not exactly as I remember," to which Merlin replies, "They like it better this way," alluding to the changes from the traditional Arthurian Legend. A now ancient Merlin is reunited with his love Nimue with the help of the equally-aged Frik, who explains that when Queen Mab's magic faded away, Nimue was released from her magical prison. Merlin uses "one last trick" to restore their youth so that they can finally spend their lives together. The film's closing words are “That’s the end of magic”.

Production

It was produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron.

The story is by Edward Khmara with the teleplay written by David Stevens and Peter Barnes.

The cast includes John Gielgud (Constant), Rutger Hauer (Vortigern), Helena Bonham Carter (Morgan le Fay), Isabella Rossellini (Nimue), Lena Headey (Guinevere) and Martin Short (Frik the gnome). Nicholas Clay, who played Lancelot in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur, has a small role as Guinevere's father, Lord Leo.

Although the costumes used in this movie appear to be more historically accurate than those found in Excalibur (with Celtic and Roman-style armor in place of full suits of plate), there are also sprites, a dragon, a talking mountain (voiced by James Earl Jones) and a talking horse (voiced by Gielgud) that ensure the magical element is well-represented.

Illustrator Alan Lee served as the film's conceptual designer.

Sequel

Hallmark filmed a sequel in Vancouver, Merlin's Apprentice, with Neill and Richardson reprising their roles. The miniseries was broadcast in 2006.

The film has been shown on Hallmark Channel and TV1000.

See also

• List of films based on Arthurian legend

External links

• Merlin at IMDb
• Hallmark Entertainment: Merlin